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Click here to see the All-Americans Randy Lein has coached at ASU (1993-2007)
Men's Golf Degrees Earned Under Randy Lein
Arizona State University men's golf coach Randy Lein has mentored his share of outstanding Sun Devils in his 15 years. If you name the tournament, accolade or award, one of his teams or players has probably taken home the honor, both on the course and in the classroom.
NCAA championship team? Notched that feat in 1996.
NCAA individual champion? Done that twice.
U.S. Amateur? Jeff Quinney took home the trophy in 2000.
English Amateur (Paul Casey), Arizona Amateur (Jesse Mueller), U.S. Public Links (Chez Reavie), Pac-10 Medal of Honor (Niklas Lemke most recently)...all of them have occurred under Lein's ASU's tutelage. And he takes pride in that.
"We feel at Arizona State that the key is to find what works best for the player and to help that player develop into the best player he can become both here and in their future," notes Lein, who has had 46 of his Sun Devils earn their degree. "College golf is such a great sport because we are dealing with individual needs that might not pertain to the rest of the team. We are a family at ASU and the support continues will after graduation. We follow our players throughout their careers and lives. I have been most fortunate to have coached some incredibly talented players and have enjoyed watching them grow as people.
"We want ASU to have quality student-athletes in our golf programs who have a strong desire to play at the professional level and show that desire in practice. A college coach works mainly with developing the right attitude and teaching course management. We give them a great golfing and academic experience at ASU."
In an era of parity, Lein also has witnessed 10 NCAA team champions in his 15 years and has kept the program in the hunt for a national title in nearly every season. In those 15 years, ASU has finished in the top six at the NCAA Championship eight times. And in that time the Sun Devils and Oklahoma State are the only teams to have two NCAA individual champions.
"The landscape has changed, as you just don't see any team or individual dominating because of the international players and the improved facilities across the country," says Lein. "We know a lot is expected of us, and that is great because we strive to be the best. We have been as consistent as anyone over the past 15 years and when you get consistent you win championships. We want every player who puts on an ASU golf shirt to believe they can win a NCAA title."
That is exactly what happened in 2003, as freshman Alejandro Canizares became the fourth Sun Devil to win NCAA medalist honors. Along with 1993 champion Todd Demsey, Lein has now recruited two NCAA champions, a U.S. Amateur champion (Jeff Quinney in 2000), a U.S. Public Links Champion (Chez Reavie in 2001), an English Amateur champion (Paul Casey in 1999 and 2000) six Pac-10 Players of the Year (seven occasions), a National Player of the Year (Chris Hanell in 1996) and, for some local flavor, an Arizona Amateur champion (Jesse Mueller).
As alumni like Quinney and Casey turned the program over to players like Canizares and three-time All-American Niklas Lemke, the Sun Devils have continued atop the leaderboard. Its sixth-place finish in 2003 marked the ninth top-10 finish for Lein at ASU, a feat only 2003 NCAA champion Clemson and 2006 NCAA champion Oklahom State can top.
And for those that bleed maroon and gold, Lein's teams have finished better than rival Arizona 11 out of his 15 years at both the NCAA and Pac-10 Championships.
In 2001-2002, the Sun Devils experienced a host of bad luck as it had a player leaving early to pursue a professional career (2001 All-American Matt Jones), an injury to another All-American (Chez Reavie) which had him out for five months and another player leaving the team to concentrate on academics (2001 U.S. Amateur semifinalist Brian Nosler). Add in losing his assistant coach as Mickey Yokoi was working with the women's team, and it was a case of Murphy's Law for Lein. Lein lost his top three players that fall, but he knew that with the newcomers arriving, Yokoi back on the staff and a healthy Reavie, ASU would get back to its usual spot in the rankings and at the NCAA Championships.
"Recruiting quality people like Jeff (Quinney), Chez (Reavie) and Niklas (Lemke) and players like them is the most important part to keeping the program running, and I knew we had done that with a newcomer like Alejandro at that time," says Lein. "ASU has a first-class university golf course, incredible practice facilities, great weather, a host of world class golf courses to play and a most supportive and enthusiastic alumni who are extremely proud of their golf programs. Former Sun Devils are all involved with the program. Our players see that and want to be part of the legacy.
"The area is growing, and with that comes more golf courses, which gives us a tremendous recruiting advantage. ASU is a special place and we are so fortunate to have the facilities and the strong support of athletic staff, alumni and community. There is no question we appreciate what we have with new facilities like the weight room, the sky is the limit for all of our programs."
The 16th-year ASU mentor enters the 2007-2008 season with 61 tournament victories in 25 seasons and 55 All-Americans at Arizona State and USC. No program was more dominant in its league and more consistent on a regular basis on the national scene in the 1990s. ASU has won six of the past 13 league titles after winning a Pac-10 record six straight from 1995-2000 and has posted five NCAA top-five finishes in the past 13 years to go along with four regional championships.
In Lein's 15 years in Tempe, only two programs have posted more NCAA top-10 finishes, as he has led the Sun Devils to a top-10 finish in all but six seasons. Only Oklahoma State and Clemson have more top-five finishes in that span, and of course Lein led ASU to its second national title in 1996.
The Sun Devils won the 1996 title in Chattanooga, Tenn., with a three-stroke victory over UNLV at the Honors Course. Lein also tutored first-team All-Americans and Academic All-Americans Chris Hanell and Scott Johnson in 1997, and had two of the top collegiate golfers with 1999 All-American Jeff Quinney and three-time All-American Paul Casey (1998-2000). Quinney earned a dramatic win of the 2000 U.S. Amateur Championship while Casey claimed his second straight English Amateur in the summer of 2000 and posted a great initial season on the European Tour as he was named Rookie of the Year in 2001.
Lein has guided the Sun Devils to 39 tournament victories (including a school record six in 1995-96), seven Pacific-10 Conference Championships (including a conference record six straight from 1995-2000), four NCAA West Regional wins (three of the past seven) and nine top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships including the title in 1996. ASU notched solid NCAA finishes with fifth-place showings in 1999, 1998 and 1997 (tie), a fourth-place finish in 1995, sixth-place finishes in 1993, 2001 and 2003 and a ninth-place finish in 1994. In addition, Lein has coached NCAA medalists Todd Demsey (1993) and Alejandro Canizares (2003) and 14 All-Americans (34 occasions): Demsey (3), Cade Stone, Chris Stutts, Chris Hanell (3), Casey (3), Niklas Lemke (3), Joey Snyder (2), Scott Johnson (2), Darren Angel (2), Quinney (3), Matt Jones (2), Reavie (3), Canizares (4) and Benjamin Alvarado Holley (2). He has won Pacific-10 Conference Coach-of-the-Year honors five times at ASU, in 1993, 1995, 1996 1999 (Co-Coach of the Year) and 2000 and also twice while at USC (1986 and 1990).
Lein (pronounced "Line"), a 1975 graduate of CS Northridge, led USC to the NCAA Championship every year from 1984 through 1992. The Trojans won 23 tournaments in 10 seasons and had 21 All-Americans. He was an associate coach at USC for four seasons prior to earning the head position (1980-83). USC earned Pac-10 titles in 1984 and 1986, finishing eighth at the NCAAs in both seasons. Lein was named Pac-10 and District VIII Coach-of-the-Year for his efforts in 1986 and 1980. Prior to that, he served as head pro at Westlake Village Golf Course.
"I have been most fortunate to have coached three NCAA champions, two Amateur Champions, five players with Walker Cup experience and a U.S. Public Links Champion. All of these players were outstanding athletes and young men. I cannot think of a better place for a student-athlete to get a quality education and prepare for life as a professional golfer. I want our former players know our staff made a positive impact on them. ASU is a great place for great golf and great student-athletes, and I am proud to be a part of it. When I hear our former players say how proud they are to be Sun Devils, that means we are doing things the right way."
LOW ROUNDS, HIGH APR: The ASU men's golf team was one of two Sun Devil programs to post perfect 1,000 Academic Progress Rate scores in the most recent listings along with women's tennis. The NCAA recognized more than 800 Division I sports teams with public recognition awards for their latest Academic Progress Rate scores in late April.
START IT OVER: Back in 2002, ASU head coach Randy Lein saw ASU's 18-year NCAA championship consecutive streak snapped in a season that had injuries and some bad luck. ASU is back in the saddle with five straight appearances, and to show you how competitive the NCAA men's golf champioships is, that five-year streak already is tied for the sixth-best active streak.
Rk. School, Years, Current Streak
1. Oklahoma State 1947-2007, 61
2. Arizona 1987-2007, 21
T3. Georgia Tech 1998-2007, 10
T3. Georgia 1998-2007, 10
5. Florida 2001-2007, 7
T6. Arizona State 2003-2007, 5
T6. UCLA 2003-2007, 5
UNDER COACH LEIN AT NCAAS: ASU has finished first (1996), fourth (1995), fifth (1998 and 1999), tied for fifth (1997), sixth (1993, 2001 and 2003), tied for ninth (1994), tied for 11th (2005 and 2007), tied for 21st (2004), tied for 18th (2007) and tied for 25th (2001) under 15th-year coach Randy Lein in the NCAA Championship.
CHAMPS FROM THE PAC-10: ASU (1996), Stanford (2007) and Cal (2004) are the only Pac-10 teams to win the NCAA championship in the past 13 years. Other Pac-10 teams to win the NCAA Men's Golf Championship are: Stanford (1938, 1939, 1941, 1942, 1946, 1953 and 1994), UCLA (1988) and Arizona (1992).
ACADEMICALLY: Niklas Lemke (B.I.S., Sociology and Family Studies), Fredrik Andersson (B.S., Economics) and Phil Telliard (B.A. Communication) bring the number of players to earn their undergraduate degrees under 15th-year head coach Randy Lein to 46 after the spring of 2007 commencement. Lemke, a two-time All-American, joins former All-Americans such as Alejandro Canizares (B.I.S., Landscape Architecture/Sociology in 2006 and 2003 NCAA champion), Todd Demsey (B.A., Psychology in 1995 and 1993 NCAA Champion) and Jeff Quinney (B.S. Finance in 2002 and 2000 U.S. Amateur Champion) as the most recognizable names on the list.
IMPRESSIVE: Randy Lein has recruited a NCAA champion (Alejandro Canizares in 2003), a U.S. Amateur champion (Jeff Quinney in 2000), a U.S. Public Links champion (Chez Reavie in 2001), an Arizona Amateur champion (Jesse Mueller, 2001) and an English Amateur champion (Paul Casey, 1998 and 1999) to ASU.
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP APPEARANCES: ASU has made 14 NCAA Championship appearances in Randy Lein's 15 years (1993-2007), tied for the third-best mark in the nation.
MOST NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP APPEARANCES (1993-2007)
School, NCAA App.
Oklahoma State, 15
Arizona, 15
Arizona State, 14
Florida, 14
Georgia Tech, 13
North Carolina, 13
Clemson, 13
Wake Forest, 12
New Mexico, 12
UNLV, 12
Auburn, 11
Texas, 11
Georgia, 10
UCLA, Minnesota, 9
COACH LEIN IN TOP TEN AT ASU: Coach Randy Lein has finished in the top ten at the NCAA Championship nine times in his 15 years, behind only Oklahoma State and Clemson (10 each).
NCAA TOP-10 FINISHES (1993-2007)
Rk. School, Top 10
T1. Clemson, 10
T1. Oklahoma State, 10
T3. Arizona State, 9
T3. Georgia Tech, 9
T5. Florida, 8
NCAA TOP-5 FINISHES (1993-2007)
Rk. School, Top 5
1. Oklahoma State, 8
2. Georgia Tech, 7
T3. Texas, 6
T3. Clemson, 6
T5. Arizona State, 5
T5. Florida, 5
